Better Software Magazine Archive: July/Aug 2010

IN THIS ISSUE

Us Against Them
By Doug Goldberg

How well does creating an opposing force serve to deliver on shared objectives within the same organization? A stronger argument may be to teach both business stakeholders and delivery personnel to reach across organizational boundaries to share not only the vision but also the methods used to achieve it.

Broken Windows, Broken Projects
By Lee Copeland

A social experiment in the ‘80s found “Vandalism can occur anywhere once communal barriers are lowered by actions that seem to signal that 'no one cares.'" The same can be said for our software projects.

The System Behind The Behavior
By Esther Derby

Most managers are familiar with using feedback and coaching to help people improve their performance at work. But those aren't the only tools managers have. Sometimes, the most effective way to change individual behavior is to change something in the system.

Slicing Requirements for Agile Success
By Ellen Gottesdiener
Mary Gorman

Agile teams need to analyze product requirements in enough detail to build, test, and deliver the right requirements in short time frames. For the many teams that struggle to define "just enough, just in time” requirements, here's help.

Four Paths To Predictable, Repeatable, Reusable Test Data
By Linda Hayes

Modern applications operate in highly integrated environments, and critical systems rely on massive amounts of data that likely contain sensitive information. Discover useful strategies for preparing your baseline, handling interfaces, designing input data, and planning for output results.

So, You Want to Be a Consultant?
By Fiona Charles

Many practitioners see becoming a consultant as their ultimate career goal. But what does it mean to be "a consultant"? In this email to an aspiring consultant, Fiona Charles (a consultant for more than fifteen years) discusses different consulting approaches and describes how working for a consulting firm can help you get there.

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